Colorado Dragon Boat Festival canceled due to algae bloom in lake and also ongoing global pandemic

It should be back next year.

A Chinese lion operated by Kung Fu students bounces up and down at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

A Chinese lion operated by Kung Fu students bounces up and down at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Due to COVID-19’s spread and a blue-green algae bloom in Sloan’s Lake, the 2021 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has been canceled. It was also canceled last year.

“This decision was not made lightly and we hope to bring our annual celebration of Asian and Asian American Pacific Islander heritage back in 2022,” said the organization’s board of directors in a press release.

The festival was set to take place Sept. 25-26, but as the board monitored COVID-19 updates including the continued spread of the Delta variant, they decided to change course.

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has brought people together for two decades. It’s the largest dragon boat festival in the country celebrating the AAPI community through dragon boat racing, culture, arts and entertainment and food.

The board said the festival should be back next year.

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